The Tay Road Bridge carries the A92 road across the Firth of Tay from Newport-on-Tay in Fife to Dundee in Scotland, just downstream of the Tay Rail Bridge. At around 2,250 metres (1.4 mi), it is one of the longest road bridges in Europe, and was opened in 1966, replacing the old Tay ferry.
As part of the modernisation projects of the 1950s, a road bridge across the Tay had been considered for several years. In August 1958 a traffic census was undertaken and test bores were taken in order to establish the most suitable location for a bridge crossing. Despite government opposition to the project, local lobbying, led by Dundee businessman Sir Douglas Hardie, brought a final agreement to the cost of the project.
The bridge was designed by consulting engineers WA Fairhurst & Partners of Glasgow and Dundee, under the direct supervision of the firm's founding partner, civil engineer William Fairhurst. Construction began in March 1963 with the infilling of West Graving Dock, King William Dock and Earl Grey docks in Dundee. The civil engineering construction was undertaken by Duncan Logan Construction Ltd. and steelwork by Dorman Long (Bridge and Engineering) Ltd. Controversially, construction required the demolition of Dundee's Royal Arch where Queen Victoria had entered the city on a royal visit. Rubble from the Victoria arch was used as foundations for the on-ramp.
The bridge consists of 42 spans with a navigation channel located closer to the Fife side. During the construction of the bridge, 140,000 tons of concrete, 4,600 tons of mild steel and 8,150 tons of structural steel was used. The bridge has a gradient of 1:81 running from 9.75 m (32.0 ft) above sea-level in Dundee to 38.1 m (125.0 ft) above sea-level in Fife.
The bridge took 3½ years to build at a cost of approximately £6 million. Following the installation of the final 65 ton girder on 4 July 1966, the completed bridge was officially opened by the Queen Mother on 18 August 1966. A newsreel of this is available in the British Pathe web archive. For four days, many took advantage of the toll-free period to cross the bridge.
A single path for pedestrians and cyclists is located between the two road carriageways. This is accessed by stairs or a lift on the Dundee side and by ramps on the Fife side. Viewing platforms were once a feature of the Bridge, however they were removed in the 1990s.
Traffic lights at each end of the bridge - and barriers on the south end - can be used to close the road to traffic if the conditions are unsafe. The bridge is closed to double-decker buses if the wind speed exceeds 45mph, to lorries, cyclists and pedestrians if the wind speed exceeds 60mph, and to all traffic at 80mph.
In 2002, a Tay FM competition to find a slogan for the bridge was abandoned after the slogan with the most votes – "It's all downhill to Dundee" – (reflecting the bridge's downward angle) was deemed unsuitable.
In September 2017, after a successful campaign by Wave 102 to give the bridge a nickname, the bridge was officially nicknamed "Steve" by Chris Duke and Councillor Stewart Hunter. The nickname "Steve" won an online poll to nickname the Bridge.
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